When Cupid Aims His Shotgun
by darkin520
Summary: Gift!fic for Madam'zelleGiry. A mission with some interesting requirements causes trouble for our favorite captain and doctor. But in the end, they might decide that it's all worth it.


**A/N: A birthday present for Madam'zelleGiry; happy birthday, dear. Enjoy!**

**Set sometime after 'Hide and Seek' and before 'The Last Lap At Luxury'.**

**Disclaimer: SeaQuest DSV and its characters are not my creation. They are the creation of Rockne S. O'Bannon as a 1990's television series. This work of fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only and is not for financial gain. I am just borrowing the characters for a bit and promise to return them unharmed and in their original condition, maybe just a bit happier.**

**Chapter 1**

"I can't believe you!" Kristin yelled as she slammed the door to their room behind her. "How in the world could you say those things about me?"

"Honey, I think you're blowing things out of proportion a bit," Nathan replied.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, really? So you don't think I'm cold-hearted, self-absorbed, stubborn bull?"

"I…I never said self-absorbed."

She rolled her eyes. "You may as well have."

"Well, _someone_ had to say something in there. You've forgotten we're supposed to be here to work on our marriage. That can't happen if you won't say anything to the therapist."

"You know perfectly well why I didn't say anything. I wasn't going to make up lies about you."

"I didn't make up lies either."

Her anger faded as her voice grew quiet. "So…so you really think I'm cold-hearted and stubborn?"

"Stubborn, of course; you know you are. But I didn't say you were cold-hearted. I said you could _act_ very cold-hearted," Nathan corrected.

"I don't see the difference," she said with a shake of her head.

Nathan gave a shrug. "Well, you have been acting a little cold lately. You won't even let me share the bed."

"I offered you the bed, and you know why we're not sharing. And if you wanted it so badly, why didn't you say something before?"

"Because I was trying to be a considerate husband."

"Ha! If that isn't the biggest lie I've ever heard." She pulled her ring off and threw it at him. "There, now you don't need to worry about being married to me." She then walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her and being sure to lock it.

A moment later, she heard knocking. "Kris! Come on, don't do this. You…you don't mean that. It was…just a little misunderstanding. We can work this out."

"I don't want to work it out! I want to go home!" Kristin cried.

"You know perfectly well why we can't do that yet." He jiggled the doorknob. "Can…can I come in, please?"

She paused. "I…I'd really just rather be alone for the moment."

"Fine," she heard him say through clenched teeth. "Have it your way. I'll let you have plenty of alone time."

She then heard his departing footsteps and the loud click of the door. She let out a deep breath and swallowed the lump in her throat; she then opened the door to the empty room and looked around. She noticed her ring sitting on the table.

She picked it up and slipped it back on and let out another sigh. She knew it wasn't Nathan's fault exactly, but things had gone from bad to worse so quickly. If she had known what was going to happen, she'd never have agreed to this. But it had seemed like such a wonderful idea at the time…

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_**Three days ago**_

"_Admiral on board!" Crocker announced as Admiral Noyce made his way through launch bay. _

_As he and Nathan walked towards the ward room, Noyce said, "I know you're wondering why I'm here, but I won't keep you in suspense much longer. We need to speak privately."_

"_This sounds serious," Nathan said as he led him to his quarters. "Please, tell me it's not bad news."_

_Once inside the captain's quarters, Bill laughed. "Not as bad as you might think. It's nothing to do with your performance or that of the crewmembers. You're all doing a fantastic job."_

"_Oh, what a relief." Nathan's brow furrowed. "Then why are you here exactly?"_

"_A mission."_

"_A mission? Since when do you need to come on board for that?"_

"_Since this one is a bit more complicated than what you're used to. And I need to ask a favor of one of our civilians as well."_

"_Okay, but I'm a little confused…"_

"_Just call Dr. Westphalen in here, and it will make sense soon," Bill said._

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_Once Kristin had arrived, Bill utilized the screen and showed them a picture of an underwater colony. "This is known as Cupid's Paradise."_

"_Cupid's Paradise?" Kristin muttered. "Sounds like an odd name for an underwater colony."_

"_Well, it's a special kind of colony. It's more like a facility, and it specializes in marriage counseling and couples' therapy."_

_Nathan and Kristin exchanged a glance. _

"_Doesn't really seem like something that would raise any red flags," Nathan stated._

"_Normally not, no. But the founder of the colony, Xavier Blanchard, is suspected of illegal arms dealing. The UEO's been watching him for a while, but no one can get close to him. He hides behind that ridiculous colony. And that's where you two come in."_

"_And how exactly do we do that?" Nathan asked. "Pretend to be married?"_

"_Exactly."_

"_I was joking."_

"_I wasn't." Bill turned to Kristin. "Certainly, you're not required to do this as a civilian, but the UEO strongly encourages it. And if you agree, they're willing to forget all about that little torpedo incident."_

_Kristin sighed. "So it's a bit of blackmail."_

"_No, of course not. Just call it a trade. And since you're a civilian, no one will suspect you."_

_But Nathan shook his head. "I have no problem going there, but the doctor isn't."_

"_Now just a moment," Kristin protested. "What gives you the right to say what I do or don't-"_

"_It's too dangerous," Nathan said, holding up a hand. "We don't know anything about this guy, save for that he may or may not be involved in illegal arms dealing."_

"_I understand your concerns, Nathan, but I assure you, we'll take all the necessary safety precautions. And she won't be out of your sight for a moment. We'll have you both wearing wires and-"_

"_Wires? What happens if someone finds out?" Nathan interrupted._

"_They won't. As I said, the UEO's been watching him. They already know how he works. I doubt you two will be gone much more than twenty-four hours. You'll be back here before you know it. We'll have you both wearing wires with a team setup in a nearby location. As soon as we get enough evidence to nail Blanchard, you and the doctor will be whisked off to safety, unscathed. What do you say?"_

"_Give us a moment, please," Nathan said, pulling Kristin to the other side of the room. "Don't think you have to agree. I'm sure you'd rather not be involved."_

"_On the contrary, Captain, I'm happy to help."_

_Nathan raised a brow. "What?"_

"_Well, like the admiral said, it shouldn't take long. And I'd do anything to stop them from whining about those ridiculous torpedoes. And we'll be together the whole time."_

"_It could be dangerous."_

"_So is eating in the mess hall, and we seem to do all right," she said with a smile. "You don't need to worry. I'm a big girl. I know what I'm doing. Everything will be fine."_

"_You're sure?"_

"_Of course. Why? Are you afraid of being fake married to me?" She gave his arm a gentle push._

"_Of course not. I just…wanted to make sure you were sure." He ushered her back towards the admiral. _

"_Well?" Bill asked hopefully._

"_We'll do it," Nathan told him._

"_Fabulous!" the admiral gushed. He opened up a case and took out rings, identification, and even a marriage license. _

"_Already assumed we'd agree, did you?" Nathan asked, nodding his head towards the documents. _

"_We were just very hopeful. Now, you two are now Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Murphy. You've been married for fifteen years and are having a bit of trouble in the communication department…"_

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Kristin sat down on the bed. Cupid's Paradise had been anything but. And they'd never seen a glimpse of Blanchard or any signs of arms dealing whatsoever; it seemed like this had been a complete waste of time. All it had done was cause a rift in their friendship and make them both miserable. She finally let a few bitter tears slip when the door opened. She quickly wiped her eyes, hoping he didn't see.

"Glad to see you've finally come out of the bathroom," he muttered.

"I…was thinking of taking a little nap," she said quietly. "I haven't been sleeping very well."

"Well, perhaps if you had the whole room to yourself…"

She sighed. "I never told you that you had to sleep on the couch, you know?"

Nathan sat down beside her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I know, and I'm sorry about the therapy session. I was just…acting, like we're supposed to. I thought you'd follow my lead."

She shrugged. "You seemed like you were being sincere…"

"Of course not. I was just caught up in the moment." He paused. "I brought you something?"

She turned to him. "Roses? Where did you get those?"

"At the gift shop in the 'when husbands act like idiots' section," he told her.

She laughed and took them from him. "They do smell good. Red roses are my favorite."

"I know." He sighed. "Look, I know this isn't exactly what we bargained for, but if we're going to do this, we need to remember to keep our cool. The faster we figure this out, the faster we can go home."

"And back to our own lives."

"Exactly. And that means we need to do more research. We're not the only couple here, remember?"

Kristin gave a soft laugh. "Yes, we've met some of them, but I seriously doubt Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton are suspects." Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton were the neighbors from across the hall and were both in their eighties.

"Maybe not, but we can't rule anyone out. Remember what the therapist said?"

She shook her head. "I was too busy stewing."

"He said we need to work on doing things together. So let's go and explore the colony. We've been stuck in this room most of the time. We need to see what we can see, hm? And besides, I'm sure you're hungry. Maybe a little dancing afterwards?"

"That sounds lovely on one condition."

"What's that?"

"Tonight, you take the bed. I don't want you thinking I'm cold-hearted anymore."

"Kris, I already told you I didn't mean it…"

"I don't care."

Nathan sighed. "We'll just see which of us is more tired later, okay? Now, go get changed, Mrs. Murphy."


End file.
